New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio sparked controversy when he warned churches could be closed permanently if they meet during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The mayor noted that the vast majority of communities had given extraordinary support, but a small number of churches and synagogues were not following guidance.
Giving out fines was the last thing he wanted to do, but he said ‘we do not need gatherings that will endanger people’.
One pastor in Florida suggested God wouldn’t send illness to a congregation and another called people worrying about the illness ‘pansies’.
In New York over 10,000 people were registered as dying as a result of Covid-19 by mid-April.
